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In this Letter, we report on the efficient generation of electrons from metals using multiphoton photoemission by use of nanostructured plasmonic surfaces to trap, localize, and enhance optical fields. The plasmonic surface increases absorption over normal metals by more than an order of magnitude, and due to the localization of fields, this results in over 6 orders of magnitude increase in effective nonlinear quantum yield. We demonstrate that the achieved quantum yield is high enough for use in rf photoinjectors operating as electron sources for MHz repetition rate x-ray free electron lasers.

A novel and robust route for high-throughput, high-performance nanophotonics-based direct imprint of high refractive index and low visible wavelength absorption materials is presented. Sub-10 nm TiO2 nanostructures are fabricated by low-pressure UV-imprinting of an organic–inorganic resist material. Post-imprint thermal annealing allows optical property tuning over a wide range of values. For instance, a refractive index higher than 2.0 and an extinction coefficient close to zero can be achieved in the visible wavelength range. Furthermore, the imprint resist material permits fabrication of crack-free nanopatterned films over large areas and is compatible for fabricating printable photonic structures.

Plasmonic metal/semiconductor nanocomposites promise to be a breakthrough for boosting and investigating photon-assisted processes at the nanoscale, with exciting perspectives for energy conversion and catalysis. However, the efficiency and selectivity of these surface processes are still far from being controlled. Here, shown for the first time, is a new class of photocatalyst which is based on the synergistic combination of bowtie-like gold nanoantennas and SiO2 /TiO2 core/shell oxide beads. These systems are exploited as efficient near-field optical light concentrators, stimulating photon-driven processes at the metal-semiconductor interface. Extraordinary enhancements of photodegradation rates (minutes instead of hours) result from matching the nanoantenna surface plasmon resonance with the optical absorption of organic dyes and the excitation source wavelength. Moreover, strong Raman enhancements are observed allowing for direct in-situ monitoring of reaction progress of different analytes on the same site.

To exploit the potentialities of Nanophotonics, it is important to control the properties of the material at the nanometer scale, obtaining a good agreement between the experiments and the theory. Nanofabrication can open the way for new concept of devices. Article not available.

Single pores prepared in thin membranes have demonstrated great potential as platforms for next generation, high-throughput single particle biosensors. The realization of readily accessible solid-state devices applicable to virion-sized particles has yet to come due to an inadequate understanding of particle detection mechanics in pores whose diameters are comparable to their length. Successful detection experiments involving nanoparticles have largely relied on high-aspect-ratio pores prepared in glass or polymers and, most recently, low-aspect-ratio solid-state pores. We present a systematic study of pores bridging the gap between these regimes and evaluating their detection parameters as they relate to pore geometry.In pore-based detection, a particle occludes current-carrying electrolyte as it translocates the pore. This creates a transient pulse of diminished ionic current which can be characterized by its depth and duration. Integrating recent findings with low-aspect-ratio pores and long-standing high-aspect-ratio pore considerations with our experiments, we formulate an approximation for event depth which, for the first time, depends explicitly on geometric parameters. Further, we develop an approximation for the electric field which allows us to characterize particle zeta potentials with our pores. This approximation is utilized to quantify capture rates in terms of known electric potentials and geometric factors, revealing higher-than-anticipated rates, potentially reducing amount the time an experiment needs to run for successful analysis. Although our results yield refined approximations, these findings represent a step toward realizing practical detection devices.This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Portions of this work were performed as a User project at the Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231. LLNL-ABS-588174

We report the all-optical observation of intrinsic spin dynamics and extraction of magnetic material parameters from arrays of sub-100 nm spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) devices with a CoFeB/MgO interface. To this end, the interference of surface acoustic waves with time-resolved magneto-optic signals via magneto-elastic coupling was suppressed using a dielectric coating. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated experimentally and via modeling on a nickel nanomagnet array. The magnetization dynamics for both coated nickel and STT-MRAM arrays shows a restored field-dependent Kittel mode from which the effective damping can be extracted. We observe an increased low-field damping due to extrinsic contributions from magnetic inhomogeneities and variations in the nanomagnet shape, while the intrinsic Gilbert damping remains unaffected by patterning. The data are in excellent agreement with a local resonance model and have direct implications for the design of STT-MRAM devices a...

Nanocavities fabricated in a metallic surface have important and technologically useful properties of complete light absorption and strong field enhancement. Here, we demonstrate how a nanometerthick alumina deposition inside such a cavity can be used to gain an exquisite control over the resonance wavelength. This process allows achieving a precise control over the spectral response and is completely reversible allowing many tuning attempts to be made on a single structure until the optimum performance is achieved.

The development of techniques for efficiently confining photons on the deep sub-wavelength spatial scale will revolutionize scientific research and engineering practices. The efficient coupling of light into extremely small nanofocusing devices has been a major challenge in on-chip nanophotonics because of the need to overcome various loss mechanisms and the on-chip nanofabrication challenges. Here, we demonstrate experimentally the achievement of highly efficient nanofocusing in an Au–SiO_2–Au gap plasmon waveguide using a carefully engineered three-dimensional taper. The dimensions of the SiO_2 layer, perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation, taper linearly below 100 nm. Our simulations suggest that the three-dimensional linear-tapering approach could focus 830 nm light into a 2 × 5 nm^2 area with ≤3 dB loss and an intensity enhancement of 3.0 × 10^4. In a two-photon luminescence measurement, our device achieved an intensity enhancement of 400 within a 14 × 80 nm2 area, and a transmittance of 74%.

We observe single nanoparticle translocation events via resistive pulse sensing using silicon nitride pores described by a range of lengths and diameters. Pores are prepared by focused ion beam milling in 50 nm-, 100 nm-, and 500 nm-thick silicon nitride membranes with diameters fabricated to accommodate spherical silica nanoparticles with sizes chosen to mimic that of virus particles. In this manner, we are able to characterize the role of pore geometry in three key components of the detection scheme, namely, event magnitude, event duration, and event frequency. We find that the electric field created by the applied voltage and the pore's geometry is a critical factor. We develop approximations to describe this field, which are verified with computer simulations, and interactions between particles and this field. In so doing, we formulate what we believe to be the first approximation for the magnitude of ionic current blockage that explicitly addresses the invariance of access resistance of solid-state pores during particle translocation. These approximations also provide a suitable foundation for estimating the zeta potential of the particles and/or pore surface when studied in conjunction with event durations. We also verify that translocation achieved by electro-osmostic transport is an effective means of slowing translocation velocities of highly charged particles without compromising particle capture rate as compared to more traditional approaches based on electrophoretic transport.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a known approach for detecting trace amounts of molecular species. Whereas SERS measurements have focused on enhancing the signal for sensing trace amounts of a chemical moiety, understanding how the substrate alters molecular Raman spectra can enable optical probing of analyte binding chemistry. Here we examine binding of trans-1,2-two(4- pyridyl) ethylene (BPE) to Au surfaces and understand variations in experimental data that arise from differences in how the molecule binds to the substrate. Monitoring differences in the SERS as a function of incubation time, a period of several hours in our case, reveals that the number of BPE molecules that chemically binds with the Au substrate increases with time. In addition, we introduce a direct method of accessing relative chemical enhancement from experiments that is in quantitative agreement with theory. The ability to probe optically specific details of metal/molecule interfaces opens up possibilities for using SERS in chemical analysis.

Pattern collapse of small or high aspect ratio lines during traditional wet development is a major challenge for miniaturization in nanolithography. Here we report on a new dry process which combines high resolution resist exposure with selective laser ablation to achieve high resolution with high aspect ratios. Using a low power 532 nm laser, we dry develop a normally negative tone methyl acetoxy calix(6)arene in positive tone to reveal sub-20 nm half-pitch features in a ∼100 nm film at aspect ratios unattainable with conventional development with ablation time of 1–2 s per laser pixel (∼600 nm diameter spot). We also demonstrate superior negative tone wet development by combining electron beam exposure with subsequent laser exposure at a non-ablative threshold that requires far less electron beam exposure doses than traditional wet development.

A subwavelength plasmonic grating with rectangular grooves on the metal surface is an efficient light trapper with designer resonance position and angular bandwidth. In this work, a new method is presented, where the grooves are filled with a dielectric resulting in a large shift of the resonance wavelength. A case study of a gold grating with grooves 18 nm wide and 47 nm deep is presented, where the resonance is shifted from original 720 nm to 960 nm by filling the grooves with an n = 1.4 immersion oil.

Results of characterization of digital optical spectrometers-on-chip are reported. We present high resolution (up to 4×10−5) spectrometers fabricated on SiO 2 :Ge and Si 3 N 4 planar waveguides covering the optical range from 440nm to760nm.

A novel strategy for fabricating nanoimprint templates with sub-10 nm patterns is demonstrated by combining electron beam lithography and atomic layer deposition. Nanostructures are replicated by step-and-repeat nanoimprint lithography and successfully transferred into functional material with high fidelity. The process extends the capacity of step-and-repeat nanoimprint lithography as a single digit nanofabrication method. Using the ALD process for feature shrinkage, we identify a size dependent deposition rate.

A novel design is described for an aperture that blocks a half-plane of the electron diffraction pattern out to a desired scattering angle, and then – except for a narrow support beam – transmits all of the scattered electrons beyond that angle. Our proposed tulip-shaped design is thus a hybrid between the single-sideband (ssb) aperture, which blocks a full half-plane of the diffraction pattern, and the conventional (i.e. fully open) double-sideband (dsb) aperture. The benefits of this hybrid design include the fact that such an aperture allows one to obtain high-contrast images of weak-phase objects with the objective lens set to Scherzer defocus. We further demonstrate that such apertures can be fabricated from thin-foil materials by milling with a focused ion beam (FIB), and that such apertures are fully compatible with the requirements of imaging out to a resolution of at least 0.34 nm. As is known from earlier work with single-sideband apertures, however, the edge of such an aperture can introduce unwanted, electrostatic phase shifts due to charging. The principal requirement for using such an aperture in a routine data-collection mode is thus to discover appropriate materials, protocols for fabrication and processing and conditions of use such that the hybrid aperture remains free of charging over long periods of time.

We demonstrate 16 times increase in light absorption nano-structured metal compar ed to the flat surface by fabricating a subwavelength grating on gold surface. Th is light-trapping phenomenon can be us ed in many areas from solar energy conversion to photovoltaics. Here, we describe application to field enhancement in photocathodes where we show theoretically a performance increase of three orders of magnitude over conventional systems. We also describe the fabrication of these devices and present initial optical results. Keywords: Plasmon subwavelength grating, li ght trapping, enhanced photoemission 1. INTRODUCTION Metals are commonly used as photocathodes for Free Electron Lasers (FEL) due to their robustness and fast time response[1]. The metal cathode’s quantum efficiency is limited prim arily by the short electron mean free path and high reflectivity of metals in the regime of low excess energy, wh ich is required for optimum F EL performance. In this work, we have adopted a plasmonic struct ure, first proposed by Le Perchec et. al. in Ref. [2], to trap light at a certain target wavelength. This approach reduce the electric field penetration into the metal, which when combined with complete light absorption and strong field enhancemen t[3] is expected to yield over three or ders of magnitude quantum efficiency improvement of metal cathodes. Two important characteristics of a photocathode are the thermal emittance (

Optical antennas have generated much interest in recent years due to their ability to focus optical energy beyond the diffraction limit, benefiting a broad range of applications such as sensitive photodetection, magnetic storage, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. To achieve the maximum field enhancement for an optical antenna, parameters such as the antenna dimensions, loading conditions, and coupling efficiency have been previously studied. Here, we present a framework, based on coupled-mode theory, to achieve maximum field enhancement in optical antennas through optimization of optical antennas' radiation characteristics. We demonstrate that the optimum condition is achieved when the radiation quality factor (Q(rad)) of optical antennas is matched to their absorption quality factor (Q(abs)). We achieve this condition experimentally by fabricating the optical antennas on a dielectric (SiO(2)) coated ground plane (metal substrate) and controlling the antenna radiation through optimizing the dielectric thickness. The dielectric thickness at which the matching condition occurs is approximately half of the quarter-wavelength thickness, typically used to achieve constructive interference, and leads to ∼20% higher field enhancement relative to a quarter-wavelength thick dielectric layer.

Ultra-high spectral resolution in the EUV and soft x-ray energy ranges requires the use of very high line density gratings with optimal design resulting in use of a Blazed Multilayer Grating (BMG) structure. Here we demonstrate the production of near-atomically perfect Si blazed substrates with an ultra-high groove density (10,000 l/mm) together with the measured and theoretical performance of an Al/Zr multilayer coating on the grating. A 1st order absolute efficiency of 13percent and 24.6percent was achieved at incidence angles of 11o and 36o respectively. Cross-sectional TEM shows the effect of smoothing caused by the surface mobility of deposited atoms and we correlate this effect with a reduction in peak diffraction efficiency. This work shows the high performance that can be achieved with BMGs based on small-period anisotropic etched Si substrates, but also the constraints imposed by the surface mobility of deposited species.

We demonstrate the nonperturbative use of diffraction-limited optics and photon localization microscopy to visualize the controlled nanoscale shifts of zeptoliter mode volumes within plasmonic nanostructures. Unlike tip- or coating-based methods for mapping near fields, these measurements do not affect the electromagnetic properties of the structure being investigated. We quantify the local field manipulation capabilities of asymmetric bowtie antennas, in agreement with theoretical calculations. The photon-limited localization accuracy of nanoscale mode positions is determined for many of the measured devices to be within a 95% confidence interval of +/-2.5 nm. This accuracy also enables us to characterize the effects of nm-scale fabrication irregularities on local plasmonic mode distributions.

We have demonstrated hyperspectral tip-enhanced Raman imaging on dielectric substrates using reproducible nano-fabricated coaxial antenna tips, enabling Raman spectral imaging (chemical mapping) with high resolution (

In a quasi-zero-average-refractive-index (QZAI) metamaterial, the light scattered out is extremely directive (Delta theta(out) = 0.06 degrees), in despite of a divergent source at near infrared wavelength (lambda=1.55 mm). In this paper we discuss and experimentally demonstrate that this is possible when the light is coupled with diffraction order of a grating with alternating complementary media. The experimental data prove with a high degree of accuracy also the strong vertical confinement of the beam even in the air region of the metamaterial, where any simple vertical confinement mechanism is absent. This extremely sensitive device works on a large contact area and open news perspective to integrated spectroscopy.

The fabrication of digital planar holograms by Step and Repeat UV nanoimprint lithography is reported. It opens a route for commercial development of new nanophotonic devices based on digital planar holography. Two first applications to be demonstrated are the high resolution spectrometer chips and the enhancement of brightness and power of laser diodes.

Progress in lithography and nanofabrication [E. Di Fabrizio et al., Nature (London) 401, 895 (1999)] has made it possible to apply differential interference contrast (DIC) in x-ray microscopy using an original x-ray doublet lens based on two specially developed zone plates. Switching from bright-field imaging (absorption contrast) to x-ray DIC, we observe, similar to visible-light microscopy, a dramatic increase in image contrast for weak absorbing samples. We anticipate that this technique will have a significant impact on x-ray imaging and may play a role comparable to DIC imaging in visible-light microscopy.

A method for the templated DNA-directed self-assembly of individual gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into discrete nanostructures is described. The templating nanostructures consisted of a linear configuration of six metal dots with a center-to-center dot distance of 55 nm, fabricated by means of electron beam lithography. The 40 nm DNA-capped AuNPs were immobilized onto this templating nanostructure to produce a linear configuration of six adjacent AuNPs. The geometry of the templating nanostructure was found to be critically important for the successful direction of a single nanoparticle onto individual adsorption sites. For optimized template structures the immobilization efficiency of nanoparticles onto the individual adsorption sites was found to be 80%. The nonspecific association of nanoparticles with specifically adsorbed nanoparticles and the between adsorption of nanoparticles, bridging two individual adsorption sites, were the two main defects observed in the immobilized assemblies. Less than 1% of all surface confined AuNPs adsorbed nonspecifically in the areas between the self-assembled regular arrays.

BEAMETR (BEAm METRology) technique is demonstrated as an attractive solution for automatic measurement of electron beam sizes in two coordinates. The method associates one software and one specially designed pattern chip. The fabrication of new BEAMETR design is performed by electron beam lithography and metal lift-off. A specific bi-layer resist system and proximity correction is used for achieving the requirements for the "pound-key" shape of BEAMETR pattern. Beam sizes in two coordinates (x,y) of Scanning Electron Microscope are measured for various operating conditions. This method allows measuring electron beam sizes down to 2 nanometers.

Using electron-beam-induced deposition and focused-ion-beam milling, we have fabricated and demonstrated a nanofocusing optical transformer with a 3-dimensionally tapered tip. At the tip, the light is confined to 13-by-80-nm area with intensity enhancement exceeding 1500.

We present a class of devices called Asymmetric Bowtie nano-Colorsorters. These devices have specifically engineered symmetries enabling them to capture, confine, spectrally filter and steer optical fields while maintaining nanoscale field distributions.

Using a combination of first-principles theory and experiments, we provide a quantitative explanation for chemical contributions to surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for a well-studied organic molecule, benzene thiol, chemisorbed on planar Au(111) surfaces. With density functional theory calculations of the static Raman tensor, we demonstrate and quantify a strong mode-dependent modification of benzene thiol Raman spectra by Au substrates. Raman active modes with the largest enhancements result from stronger contributions from Au to their electron-vibron coupling, as quantified through a deformation potential, a well-defined property of each vibrational mode. A straightforward and general analysis is introduced that allows extraction of chemical enhancement from experiments for specific vibrational modes; measured values are in excellent agreement with our calculations., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures and Supplementary material included as ancillary file

We present a class of devices called Asymmetric Bowtie nano-Colorsorters. These devices are specifically engineered to not only capture and confine optical fields, but also to spectrally filter and steer them while maintaining nanoscale field distributions. We show that spectral properties and localized spatial mode distributions can be readily tuned by controlled asymmetry. Nano-Colorsorters can control light's spatial and spectral distributions at the nanoscale and thus significantly impact applications ranging from broadband light harvesting to ultrafast wavelength-selective photodetection.

In this paper we introduce phase diffractive optical elements (DOEs) that beside simple focusing, can perform new optical functions in the range of x-rays. In particular, the intensity of the wavefront can be distributed with almost complete freedom. We calculated and fabricated high resolution DOEs that can focus a monochromatic x-ray beam into multiple spots displaced in a single or two planes along the optical axis or can shape the beam into a desired continuous geometrical pattern. The possibility to introduce a specified phase shift between the generated spots, which can increase the image contrast, is demonstrated by preliminary results obtained from computer simulations and experiments performed in visible light. The functionality of the DOEs has been tested successfully in full-field differential interference contrast (DIC) x-ray microscopy at the ID21 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) operated at 4 keV photon energy.

In this paper the experimental results show near-infrared light collimation through large area (2 x 2 mm) nanopatterned material with refractive index quasi-zero on the average. This quasi-zero refractive index is obtained alternating photonic crystals strips with effective refractive index neff = –1 and air strips (n = 1). Layers optically annihilate each other, verifying the optical antimatter concept theoretically proposed by Pendry et al [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 15, 6345 (2003)].

Inspired by the concept of complementary media, we experimentally demonstrate that an engineered metamaterial made of alternating, stripe layers of negatively refracting (photonic crystals) and positively refracting (air) materials strongly collimates a beam of near-infrared light. This quasi-zero-average-index metamaterial fully preserves the beam spot size throughout the sample for a light beam traveling through the metamaterial a distance of 2 mm\char22{}more than 1000 times the input wavelength $\ensuremath{\lambda}=1.55\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$. These results demonstrate the first explicit experimental verification of optical antimatter as proposed by Pendry and Ramakrishna [J. Pendry and S. Ramakrishna, J. Phys. Condens. Matter 15, 6345 (2003)], using two complementary media in which each ${n}_{\mathrm{eff}}=\ensuremath{-}1$ layer appears to annihilate an equal thickness layer of air.

The ability to inject dopant atoms with high spatial resolution, flexibility in dopant species, and high single ion detection fidelity opens opportunities for the study of dopant fluctuation effects and the development of devices in which function is based on the manipulation of quantum states in single atoms, such as proposed quantum computers. The authors describe a single atom injector, in which the imaging and alignment capabilities of a scanning force microscope (SFM) are integrated with ion beams from a series of ion sources and with sensitive detection of current transients induced by incident ions. Ion beams are collimated by a small hole in the SFM tip and current changes induced by single ion impacts in transistor channels enable reliable detection of single ion hits. They discuss resolution limiting factors in ion placement and processing and paths to single atom (and color center) array formation for systematic testing of quantum computer architectures in silicon and diamond. © 2008 American Vacuum Society.

We report on progress in ion placement into silicon devices with scanning probe alignment. The device is imaged with a scanning force microscope (SFM) and an aligned argon beam (20 keV, 36 keV) is scanned over the transistor surface. Holes in the lever of the SFM tip collimate the argon beam to sizes of 1.6 um and 100 nm in diameter. Ion impacts upset the channel current due to formation of positive charges in the oxide areas. The induced changes in the source-drain current are recorded in dependence of the ion beam position in respect to the FinFET. Maps of local areas responding to the ion beam are obtained., IBMM 2008 conference proceeding

Single nanopores have attracted interest for their use as biosensing devices. In general, methods involve measuring ionic current blockades associated with translocation of analytes through the nanopore, but the detection of such short time lasting events requires complex equipment and setup that are critical for convenient routine biosensing. Here we present a novel biosensing concept based on a single nanopore in a silicon nitride membrane and two anchor-linked DNA species that forms trans-pore hybrids, realizing a stable blockade of ionic current through the pore. Molecular recognition events affecting the DNA hybrids cause a pore opening and the consequent establishment of an ionic current. In the present implementation of the device, we constructed a magnetic bead/streptavidin/biotin-DNA1/DNA2-biotin/streptavidin/Quantumdot-cluster complex (where DNA1 is a mismatched reverse complement of DNA2) through a sub-micrometric pore and monitored DNA strand displacement events occurring after addition of art oligonucleotide complementary to DNA2. The electric and mechanical aspects of the novel device, as well as its potential in biosensing are discussed. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In this paper we will discuss the use of the crossbeam ZEISS XB1540 applied to photonic structures and to obtain nano-imprinting templates. Some 1D Photonic Crystals (PhC) on silica based optical waveguides are shown as well as the realization of 3D optical structures curved directly on silica and used subsequently as a master for imprinting. Focused ion beam lithography (FIB) is a technique for direct writing of patterns; it means is substantially slow, but its versatility and the combination with other "faster" techniques make it an interesting method to produce prototypes and special devices. The resolution and the perturbation of the samples are perfectly compatible with the photonic applications. In fact, the contamination due to the gallium ion implantation as well as the roughness of the vertical and horizontal surface doesn't affect the performance of the devices shown in this paper.

Plasma etching is an enabling technology in nano optic, nanoelectronic devices, nano electro mechanical systems (NEMS) and nanoresolution templates for nano imprint lithography (NIL). With shrinkage, one must overcome significant challenges to meet the stringent profile and CD goals necessary for nanoscale applications. Using the example of Si nanoimprint template fabrication, we show how ion/sidewall/mask interactions can dominate feature profile evolution at the nanoscale and what to look for successful pattern transfer. Gas chopping or multiplexed etching, generally used for deep silicon etching, is often avoided at the nanoscale due to unacceptable undercut and sidewall scalloping. We demonstrate a multiplexed etching process in silicon with sub-5 nm amplitude scallops which is well suited for NEMS and nano optics applications and which reduces the deleterious role of ion/sidewall/mask interactions at the nanoscale.

Any metrology tool is only as good as it is calibrated. The characterization of metrology systems requires test patterns at a scale about ten times smaller than the measured features. The fabrication of patterns with linewidths down to 1.5 nm is described. The test sample was designed in such a way that the distribution of linewidths appears to be random at any location. This pseudorandom test pattern is used to characterize dimensional metrology equipment over its entire dynamic range by extracting the modulation transfer function of the system. The test pattern contains alternating lines of silicon and tungsten silicide, each according to its designed width. The fabricated test samples were imaged using a transmission electron microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and an atomic force microscope.

A step-and-repeat nanoimprint lithography (SR-NIL) process on a pre-spin-coated film is employed for the fabrication of an integrated optical device for on-chip spectroscopy. The complex device geometry has a footprint of about 3 cm2 and comprises several integrated optical components with different pattern size and density. Here, a new resist formulation for SR-NIL was tested for the first time and proved effective at dramatically reducing the occurrence of systematic defects due to film dewetting, trapped bubbles, and resist peel-off. A batch of 180 dies were imprinted, and statistics on the imprint success rate is discussed. Devices were optically characterized and benchmarked to an identical chip that was fabricated by electron-beam lithography. The overall performance of the imprinted nanospectrometers is well-aligned with that of the reference chip, which demonstrates the great potential of our SR-NIL for the low-cost manufacturing of integrated optical devices.

We present a unified view regarding the use of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) for microscopy applications a wide range of electromagnetic spectrum. The unified treatment is realized through the design and fabrication of DOE through which wave front beam shaping is obtained. In particular we show applications ranging from micromanipulation using optical tweezers to X-ray differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. We report some details on the design and physical implementation of diffractive elements that beside focusing perform also other optical functions: beam splitting, beam intensity and phase redistribution or mode conversion. Laser beam splitting is used for multiple trapping and independent manipulation of spherical micro beads and for direct trapping and manipulation of biological cells with non-spherical shapes. Another application is the Gauss to Laguerre-Gaussian mode conversion, which allows to trap and transfer orbital angular momentum of light to micro particles with high refractive index and to trap and manipulate low index particles. These experiments are performed in an inverted optical microscope coupled with an infrared laser beam and a spatial light modulator for DOEs implementation. High resolution optics, fabricated by means of e-beam lithography, are demonstrated to control the intensity and the phase of the sheared beams in X-ray DIC microscopy. DIC experiments with phase objects reveal a dramatic increase in image contrast compared to bright-field X-ray microscopy.

Since the low index particles are repelled away from the highest intensity point, trapping them optically requires either a rotating Gaussian beam or optical vortex beams focused by a high numerical microscope objective. However, the short working distance of these microscope objectives puts a limit on the depth at which these particles can be manipulated. Here, we show that axicon like structure built on tip of a single mode optical fiber produces a focused beam that is able to trap low index particles. In fact, in addition to transverse trapping inside the dark conical region surrounded by high intensity ring, axial trapping is possible by the balance of scattering force against the buoyancy of the particles. The low-index particle system consisted of an emulsion of water droplets in acetophenone. When the fiber was kept horizontal, the low index spheres moved away along the beam and thus could be transported by influence of the scattering force. However in the vertical position (or at an angle) of the fiber, the particles could be trapped stably both in transverse and axial directions. Chain of such particles could also be trapped and transported together by translation of the fiber. Using escape force technique, transverse trapping force and thus efficiency for particle in Mie regime was measured. Details of these measurements and theory showed that trapping of Raleigh particle is possible with such axicon-tip fibers. This ability to manipulate low-index spheres inside complex condensed environments using such traps will throw new insights in the understanding of bubble-bubble and bubble-wall interactions, thus probing the physics behind sonoluminescence and exploring new applications in biology and medicine.

Trapping and manipulation of microscopic objects using fiber optical traps is gaining considerable interest, as these objects can be manipulated inside complex environments, thus removing the limitation of short working distance of the conventional optical tweezers. We show that an axicon like structure built on the tip of a single mode optical fiber produces a focused beam shape with a central hole, implying a very small fraction of the power traveling with rays nearly parallels to the optical axis. Interesting transportation behavior of polystyrene particles using the scattering forces from such an axicon tip fiber was observed. As the distance of the particle from the fiber tip increased, since almost no rays interact with the particle, the scattering forces decreased substantially. Therefore, velocity of the particle at different distances was found to depend much more critically on the particle size in contrast to the beam generated by the bare fiber. While the speed of transport could be increased linearly by increasing the laser power in both axicon tipped fiber and bare fiber, increased speed was observed for particles of larger sizes for both the fiber types. However, the fractional increase in speed for increased size of particles was found to be quite large for axicon tipped fiber as compared to the bare fiber. Use of the observed differences in speed of transportation of microscopic objects could be used to sort them based upon their size.